AI-Augmented Motivational Interviewing Training for Primary Care (AIM-PC)

Wright State University

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Implicit Bias; Burnout, Professional; Multiple Chronic Conditions; Motivational Interviewing; Patient Engagement

Treatments: Behavioral: Basic AI (artificial intelligence)-Augmented Motivational Interviewing Training; Behavioral: Plus AI (artificial intelligence)-Augmented Motivational Interviewing Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06597123

25-0047-P0001

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will examine the impact of training primary care providers (PCPs) in motivational interviewing (MI) using artificial intelligence (AI) to augment the training process. MI is a patient-centered approach to engaging patients in their own care. There will be a control group and two intervention groups, with the intervention groups receiving a different amount of MI training. The hypothesis is that the AI-augmented MI training will result in improved patient outcomes, improved clinician wellbeing, and reduced behavioral manifestation of clinician biases. This mixed-methods project will also collect qualitative data from structured interviews and focus groups with participating PCPs to examine perceived facilitators and barriers to the use of the MI approach in primary care.

Full description

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based patient-centered approach that has been demonstrated to be effective in increasing patient engagement in their own care. Using MI, a clinician is compassionate curious to understand patients' perspective on their behavior, and conversationally guides them to discover a need for behavior change. However, MI is not widely utilized in primary care practices and challenging to teach, in part because many primary care providers (PCPs) take a direct approach with their patients by educating and advising them regarding steps to improve their health. However, simply telling patient what to do tends to be ineffective, leading to frustration on the part of both patients and PCPs.

To help implement the MI approach more widely, our team has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) augmented tool for MI skill development, ReadMI™ (Real-time Assessment of Dialogue in Motivational Interviewing). The goal of this project is to: 1) examine the association of AI-measured proficiency in MI to patient outcomes, PCP wellbeing, and PCP manifestations of bias, and 2) to determine the extent to which AI-augmented MI skills training can impact the same outcome, wellbeing, and bias manifestation variables in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). This mixed-methods project will also employ structured interviews and focus groups of participating PCPs to collect qualitative data for better understanding both facilitators and barriers to the implementation of MI in primary care.

The overall hypothesis is that PCPs with the strongest MI proficiencies will have patients with better outcomes, and that those PCPs will also demonstrate less burnout and less manifestation of bias. Additionally, it is hypothesized that making use of AI in MI training will be seen by PCPs as a facilitator to the use of MI in their practices.

Enrollment: 150 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Primary care providers (physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners) employed in primary care practices of the Premier Physician Network of Premier Health (southwest Ohio) are eligible to participate.

Exclusion criteria

• Eligible PCPs who opt to not provide informed consent for participation will be excluded from the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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150 participants in 3 patient groups

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

The control group (CG) will provide survey data and complete role plays with standardized patients for motivational interviewing (MI) assessment at designated project intervals. Premier Physician Network data for these primary care providers (PCPs) will also be obtained at these intervals.

BASIC AI-Augmented Motivational Interviewing Training

Active Comparator group

Description:

The Basic intervention group will provide survey data and complete role plays with standardized patients for motivational interviewing (MI) assessment at designated project intervals. Premier Physician Network data for these primary care providers (PCPs) will also be obtained at these intervals. Basic PCPs will participate in a didactics session on MI, and subsequently complete two AI (artificial intelligence)-augmented MI training sessions that involve role-play practice of MI.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Basic AI (artificial intelligence)-Augmented Motivational Interviewing Training

PLUS AI-Augmented Motivational Interviewing Training

Active Comparator group

Description:

The Plus intervention group will provide survey data and complete role plays with standardized patients for motivational interviewing (MI) assessment at designated project intervals. Premier Physician Network data for these primary care providers (PCPs) will also be obtained at these intervals. Plus intervention group PCPs will participate in a didactics session on MI, and subsequently complete four AI (artificial intelligence)-augmented MI training sessions that involve role-play practice of MI.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Plus AI (artificial intelligence)-Augmented Motivational Interviewing Training